9 RULES OF HAPKIDO
Nine basic rules are integrated into the practice of (Sin Moo) Hapkido. They are designed to facilitate the integration of mind, body, and spirit, and maximize the development of internal energy (Ki). The rules are organized into three (3) categories, each consisting of three rules:
Body:
1. Proper Diet
2. Control Sexual Practices
3. Beneficial Meditation
Mind:
4. Control Anger
5. Control Sadness
6. Control Greed
Spirit:
7. Proper Intake of Water
8. Proper Intake of Air
9. Proper Intake of Sunshine
1. Proper Diet:
Eat foods that maximize your body’s potential to produce adrenaline and Ki energy. Spicy foods are bad for the stomach. Alcohol is bad for the brain.
2. Control Sexual Practices:
Fundamental to many Taoist-based practices is the idea that sexual activity affects the gain or loss of internal energy from the body.
3. Beneficial Meditation:
Meditation is used to focus or relax the mind, reduce stress, increase spiritual sensitivity, improve health, and prolong life.
4. Control Anger:
Uncontrolled anger stresses the heart and circulatory system, which hinders the production of internal energy.
5. Control Sadness:
Uncontrolled sadness or depression affects one’s ability to think clearly. “You cannot avoid that which comes to you, nor hold on to that which leaves you.”
6. Control Greed:
Uncontrolled desire for material objects effects behavior and interactions with others, and the ability to think logically. “Your soul is the only thing which belongs to you, and the only thing you take with you when you die.”
7. Proper Intake of Water:
Do not drink liquids that are very cold or very hot. Extreme temperature changes effects the nerves in the teeth, which is harmful to the production of adrenaline and internal energy.
8. Proper Intake of Air:
The quality of air you breathe is very important and affects the body’s production of hormones, adrenaline, and internal energy. Long, deep breathing is considered beneficial.
9. Proper intake of Sunshine:
The proper amount of sunshine “charges the body’s batteries.” Excessive or insufficient amounts are considered harmful. Meditate with the sun behind you: face west in the morning; north at noon; and east in the afternoon, or at night after the sun has set.
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